Annual Report of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago 2012-2013 Annual Report 2012-2013 | Page 18
Appointments of
Judicial Officers
To qualify for appointment as a High Court Judge, a candidate should have at least 10 years’ standing as an Attorney
at Law. High Court Judges who have sat on the Bench for at
least three years, and Attorneys at Law of at least 15 years
standing, are eligible for appointment to the Court of
Appeal. Candidates for appointment as Masters of the
High Court and Magistrates must have a minimum of
seven years and five years standing as an Attorney at Law
respectively. Sections 102 and 104 of the Constitution of
Trinidad and Tobago outline the procedures by which
judicial officers are to be appointed. The Chief Justice is
appointed by the President after consultation with the
Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The
Chief Justice, as Head of the Judiciary, occupies, in the
order of precedence, the third highest office in Trinidad
and Tobago. By virtue of his position as Chief Justice, he is
also President of the Court of Appeal, an ex-officio Judge of
the High Court, and Chairman of the Judicial and Legal
Services Commission (JLSC). Under the Constitution, the
JLSC is charged with the task of appointing Justices of
Appeal, High Court Judges, Masters of the High Court,
Magistrates, Registrars of the Supreme Court, and the
Administrative Secretary to the Chief Justice, all of whom
are judicial officers. Five persons comprise the JLSC,
including the Chairman of the Public Service Commission,
one person who served as a Judge, and two persons with
legal qualifications. Both the Chief Justice and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission are ex-officio
members. The present members of the Judicial and Legal
Services Commission are:
Chairman: The Honourable Chief Justice
Mr Justice Ivor Archie (ex-officio member)
Members: Dr Marjorie Thorpe
Chairman of the Public Services Commission
(ex-officio member)
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Reshaping the
Judiciary Identity
Madame Justice Annestine Sealy (retired
Judge)
Mr Justice Roger Hamel Smith (retired Judge)
Mr David Patrick, Attorney at Law
Madame Justice Sealy and Dr Thorpe assumed their seats
on the JLSC during the past year filling vacancies created
by the departure of former Chairman of the Public Services
Commission, Mr Christopher Thomas, and retired High
Court Judge, Madame Justice Jean Permanand. Madame
Justice Sealey served as a Judge of the High Court between
1990 and 1997, and was also Principal of the Hugh Wooding Law School. Dr Thorpe assumed the position of Chairman of the Public Services Commission recently.
Our Stakeholders
The Judiciary’s stakeholder group is diverse and representative of the various facets of the administration of justice.
The stakeholder group comprises our customers, justice
stakeholders, various Ministries and Departments of the
Executive arm of the State, the Legislature, and various
trade unions.
Customers
Our customers are our main stakeholders and comprise of
litigants, attorneys and members of the public who request
the services of the Judiciary.
Justice Stakeholders
The justice stakeholders comprise of the Law Association
of Trinidad and Tobago; the Judicial and Legal Services
Commission; and the Law Revision Commission.
Executive
The Judiciary’s key stakeholders from the Executive are
many in number, and are primarily responsible for providing the funding, material resources and non-legal human
resources for Judiciary operations. In addition to this role,
the Judiciary works together with various Ministries and
Government departments to review and comment on
national policies with a view to ensuring that said policies
can be effectively implemented given the Judiciary’s
mandate and needs. The Judiciary also works in partnership with relevant Ministries and Government departments on various initiatives, programmes and projects for
which either the expertise exists, where the initiative is
cross functional in nature, or when statute or policy so
dictates.
Legislature
The Legislature as represented by the Parliament of
Trinidad and Tobago is a critical stakeholder with the
responsibility for making laws. As a stakeholder, the
Judiciary is dependent on the Legislature for enacting the
appropriation of its annual estimates of expenditures.
Trade Unions
The trade unions representing our staff - the Public
Services Association and the National Union of Government and Federated Workers - constitute an important
stakeholder whose main mandate is to protect the rights of
workers, and is recognized as a key resource in building
the Judiciary’s human capital.